Crimson
by The Tox
Summary: Both Ikkaku and Yumichika are unsatisfied with their lives, but on one fateful night everything changes. A first meeting story. Violence, Ikkaku x Yumichika
1. Prologue

A man named Yumichika sat in a beautiful villa in the middle of a forest. He was dressed in an ocean blue kimono and his hair was put in a complex ponytail fitting for an expensive geisha. The rice paper wall behind him was decorated with a large painted peacock that looked down on him.

He sat in front of a mirror and studied a small scar under his ear. It was a scar he hated, and it was a deep scar. It was short too; before it could taint his face further it had been stopped. Now it was just incomplete, just like how he felt.

He could see the shadows of three men standing outside of his room. They were guards, all equipped with swords. He looked at their shadows with hate filled yet sorrowful eyes that he also met in his reflection.

Suddenly, the guards started to disperse. Yumichika knew why; how could he not?

He sighed and eyed his reflection again; that reflection that he hated so much. Then he heard steps from outside of the room.

In a lousy district of the Rukongai a man named Ikkaku loitered. He had just been kicked out of a gambling den because he had attempted cheating. He always lost bets; he was a really unlucky person. He barely had enough money for the sake he was now drinking.

Ikkaku was bored beyond belief. He was a fighter, but it seemed as if he was the only fighter in the town. He cursed and drank his misfortune away.

The moon was full and the stars helped it lighten up the otherwise dark and colorless night sky. Neither Ikkaku nor Yumichika paid it any mind.


	2. Green

It was dark when he fled. He had two options; either sneaking slowly to try to go unnoticed, or running for his life and hope they would notice his absence firstly when he was too far gone. Yumichika decided to gamble, and he ran.

The gorgeous kimono he was wearing got in the way, so he reluctantly dropped it during his run through the woods. It was cold running only in the hiyoku, the under-kimono, and the tough environment did not agree with his straw sandals. But he had no choice, he realized. It was not stealthily he escaped the villa and it was not in silence he travelled through the forest, so it did not surprise him when he heard yelling from behind him.

"Get him!"someone yelled, and Yumichika knew from the sounds that it was at least five of them. He cursed, and continued to run, while looking back momentarily. It was a stupid thing to do, because not only did it confirm his fear that they were closing in on him, but it also caused him to trip over a root. He fell to the moist ground which dirtied the hiyoku and his face, but he did not have any time to care for it. His left arm had hit a stone and it was more or less damaged, but he still managed to pull himself up just in time for one of his pursuers to catch up with him.

The pursuer twitched his arm so that it hurt even more, and he had to cry out.

"Got you", the man grunted in Yumichika's ear. It was a new voice, one that Yumichika had not heard before. Yumichika struggled to get free, despite his both hands being locked behind his back.

The other pursuers caught up to him and Yumichika could see six people surrounding him, not counting the one who held him. One of the men held a lantern, which allowed Yumichika to see his face. As he had suspected, it was Kongen, the captain of the guards.

"Thank God yer pretty", Kongen commented with his raspy and hoarse voice. He had a scar across his throat that he had gotten many years ago. It was almost so deep that it had severed his head, but due to some miracle he had survived. "If ye weren't", Kongen continued. "ye'd be dead so many times over now it wouldn't be funny." He snickered when he thought about what he had said. "Now I lie; it would be funny", he laughed. Due to his throat, it sounded more like a cough; a long and mean cough that sent chills down your spine.

The guards started to walk back the way they had come, practically dragging Yumichika along with them.

"Careful", Kongen said. "Higure-sama'd have your heads if he's hurt."

The guard who held Yumichika decided to release him for just a second so that he could carry him over his should instead. It was a bad move, because a moment like that was not something Yumichika would waste. The moment his arms were free, he punched the guard in his face which caused a smaller commotion amongst the guards. This moment he used to flee again without looking back even once.

"What're ye waiting for? After him!" Kongen yelled hoarsely and the sound of moving armor once again followed Yumichika.

Running as if his life depended on it, Yumichika noticed how the noise behind him started to fade; he managed to outrun them! But it was too soon to celebrate, he realized, so he did not slow down one bit.

Before long, lights were seen in the horizon. He was soon outside of the forest, where a Rukongai district lay. It seemed lively despite the late hour, which made Yumichika smile a tired smile in relief.

He ran in to the largest street, straight into a large crowd. But it was too soon to rest, he realized when he cast a look over his shoulder. In the edge of the forest he spotted Kongen's lantern and the shady figures of seven other men. Cursing, Yumichika looked in every angle to see somewhere to flee to. He did not blend in to the crowd, no matter how much he wanted to. Despite that the hiyoku was dirtied, it was way too expensive and beautiful not to stand out amongst the poor Rukongai villagers. He was also alone, where as the other people seemed to have partners or family they walked with.

Panicking when he noticed the guards approaching the village, he spotted a lonesome man leaning against a wall in an alley. He was ugly and dirty like the most, and he was bald, but Yumichika felt too pressed to care. He hurried over to him, all while looking back as his pursuers started looking for him in the crowd. Even worse was that the villagers made way for them, since they were all dressed in armor and equipped with swords.

"What?" the man Yumichika stood in front of asked, snapping him out of his daze.

"I need your help", Yumichika quickly explained. He realized how horrible he probably looked, since his hair was messy due to his running, and he sweated, not to mention the dirt and mud that clung to his clothes and body…

The other man did not have time to ask with what, or to straight out refuse, when Yumichika in the corner of his eye saw Kongen and the man he had punched approaching the alley he was in.

Acting out of desperation, Yumichika pressed his mouth to the strangers, and with his one working arm managed to turn them around so that he was now pressed against the wall, with the other and taller man covering him.

The stranger seemed to resist at first, but Yumichika could taste alcohol and his right hand on the man's bald head prevented him from leaving.

The kiss was not intended to be heated or even real, but the ugly and drunk man started to make advances the longer the kiss lasted. He gripped Yumichika's waist with his hands and pressed him further against the wall, while deepening the kiss.

Yumichika tried to end the kiss when he had assured himself that the guards had left, but the bald man did not let him. Yumichika had to bite his tongue for him to let go.

"What the fuck?" the man growled. He had a very fiery voice, despite his supposed drunk state. Yumichika paid him little attention when he instead looked out on the crowd where he saw none of the guards. How long had he made out with the stranger, anyway?

It did not matter. All that mattered was that he was free… for now. He needed to flee farther away, and –

"I said, what the fuck?" the man repeated himself and took a hold of Yumichika's left wrist. Yumichika yelped in pain, but the man did not let go.

"Thank you for helping me", Yumichika said quickly. "Now let go, my hand-"

The other man did not let go, but pulled Yumichika closer.

"What the hell was that all about?" he asked, tightening his grip.

"Let go of my wrist, seriously", Yumichika growled. "At least take my right hand, I hurt this one", he explained. The other man seemed dumbfounded, but did switch grip.

"Well?" he asked. Yumichika bit his lip, but realized as long as the stranger held his hand, and had a sword in his belt he noted, then he had no choice.

"I was fleeing", he said. "And I needed cover. Again, thank you, but I need to get going." The man let go then, allowing Yumichika to walk out of the alley. But he did not get far until he heard the other man yelling to him.

"Coward."

Yumichika turned around, allowing himself to fall for such a taunt. Fleeing could be seen as cowardly, but the stranger had no idea of what Yumichika had gone through. Who was he to judge? What did he know?

"You have no idea of what I've gone through", Yumichika said, dropping his voice so that it was low and deadly. His eyes also shone with annoyance and anger.

The stranger snorted and folded his muscular arms over his chest. The alley was dark, not as dark as the forest had been, but darker than the large street. Even so, the bald stranger seemed to radiate a confident light.

"It doesn't matter; if ya flee instead of battle you're a pathetic coward", he stated as a matter of fact. Any other day, and under any other circumstance, Yumichika would probably agree.

"I did battle", Yumichika protested. "But I had no chance of winning. I'm not going to-"

"That's why I call ya a coward!"

A silence brew between the two. The crowd behind Yumichika's back was loud - laughter was heard, music, talking, song – but it could just as easily have been nothing and no one there. It became a staring contest; Yumichika's violet eyes meeting with the rude man's black orbs; anger meeting cockiness. It continued until Yumichika took a step closer with determination practically coating him.

"Then what should I do?" he asked with venom dripping from his words.

"It's easy; get stronger", the bald man replied without hesitation.

How, was a question Yumichika easily could have asked. But he realized that was not the question he wanted the answer for.

"Can you help me train?" he asked. Judging from the man's look, it was the kind of question he had anticipated, or at least hoped for. "I want to be strong enough to kill every last one of them."

Now the man grinned, a grin that looked too crazy to be trusted. But Yumichika did trust it, and he did trust the man it belonged to.

"I'll train ya", he said. "On the condition that you let me in on the killing."

"Be my guest", Yumichika said while shrugging his shoulders (and hissing in pain when he dropped the left arm again). "My name is Yumichika."

"I'm Ikkaku."

Ikkaku and Yumichika walked out of the alley, both feeling pretty smug about themselves. Yumichika could not wait to get stronger, and Ikkaku could not wait to fight.

They were both practically broke, so they went to a gambling house where they bet Ikkaku's absolutely last money in a dice game. For the first time since Ikkaku started gambling he won and they could rest inside a small inn. Despite how crappy Yumichika's day had been, he fell asleep with a content smile on his lips.

Ikkaku watched Yumichika sleep for a while, until he got up to get a wet towel. Carefully, he cleaned off the mud from Yumichika's face with it, and then he too fell asleep with a smile.


	3. Blue

When Ikkaku woke up the day after he had met Yumichika the other man was already up. He was brushing his long hair with his hands in the absence of a real brush, and from Ikkaku's angel he noticed a slight scar following from behind Yumichika's left ear up only till the lobe; but it was a deep scar.

"What's that?" he asked and sat up, yawning loudly. He pointed at the scar, which Yumichika quickly covered with his hair. "Did they do it?" he asked. He still had no idea of who "they" were, but he was not a curious enough person to ask.

Yumichika hesitated with his answer, but then looked down in shame. "Yeah", he replied, and Ikkaku did not push it further. It seemed as if Yumichika was ashamed of it, something Ikkaku could not fault. Unlike himself, Yumichika had an otherwise scar free and perfect body.

Yumichika stretched his left arm and hissed in pain for a little while, but soon realized that it was at least not broken. This seemed to brighten his mood again.

Ikkaku had slept only in loincloth, and put on the same short yukata as he had worn the day before. Yumichika was not happy with it, but the white hiyoku that was muddied was the only piece of clothing he owned other than his underwear, so he had to wear it for another day. It stunk, since he had been sweating on the day before, but he still smelled fresher than Ikkaku. He could not be fastidious in Rukongai, he realized.

They still had some money left from Ikkaku's win the previous day so breakfast was not skipped. They ate is while sitting on the edge of the bread store, a place Yumichika had been in for the last couple of years. Ikkaku seemed more than used to it though as he ate the bread as if it was the first thing he had eaten for days.

When they were done with breakfast they headed to the outskirt of the town on the opposite direction of the forest. It was a dry landscape there, with only yellow grass and dispersed rocks.

"Ya don't have a sword", Ikkaku wisely noted.

"I used to", Yumichika said. "But it… disappeared."

"All right. Until it comes back to ya", Yumichika raised a finger to protest but was not allowed to, "we'll do this hand to hand", Ikkaku said before tossing his sword and sheath to the side. He flexed his muscles and got into a wrestling like position. "Come on", he yelled.

Yumichika sighed and tried to move his left arm again, but it still hurt. He hoped that maybe Ikkaku would go easy on him, or take the arm's condition into consideration, so he too got ready for a fight. And fight they did.

Ikkaku had no mercy for Yumichika, and was quick to punch him in the gut. It was a hard blow, but Yumichika was luckily strong enough to take it while standing. He kicked against Ikkaku instead, but the bald man managed to evade it.

Going after Ikkaku, Yumichika used his one functioning arm to strike him across the face. It was a good hit, one Ikkaku had not expected, and one that made Yumichika smirk sadistically. It was too early for him to feel smug about himself though, because Ikkaku quickly recovered and tackled Yumichika to the ground. Straddling him, Ikkaku raised his fist so that it could easily cause a lot of damage if it hit.

Despite Ikkaku's mad grin, he did not go through with the punch. He got off Yumichika and helped him to his feet.

"You're clearly cut out fer battle", Ikkaku said. "But don't get too cocky. Just 'cause one hit lands doesn't mean the next one will."

"Sorry", Yumichika said. "It's been a while since I last battled, and –"

"Don't apologize", Ikkaku cut him off. "Now let's go again!"

The two men battled many times over, and soon Yumichika's whole body hurt instead of just his arm, making him not recognizing his pain one bit. In the end, both of them were grinning and they firstly stopped when their bodies craved for dinner, and they fell to the ground panting and laughing.

Higure was mad beyond reorganization. The newest member of his guards, a man named Kyousuke, had let his beautiful Yumichika go. Of course, Higure had already ordered his painful death. The execution was under way while Higure himself walked through his villa back and forth. He stopped when he reached Yumichika's now empty room where he dropped to his knees and just dazed off, observing it all. It still smelled like Yumichika, and it made him so sad.

A large painting of a peacock decorated the rice paper wall, and Higure remembered the moment when he had first gazed upon Yumichika. _"You're so beautiful"_, he had said. _"Just like a peacock_." Now Yumichika had left him. Why? What did he do to deserve to be denied such beauty?

Higure got madder just thinking about it, until he was approached by another man he was very disappointed with; Kongen.

"Higure-sama", the man said with his sickening voice. "Ye need not worry. Two of my men are still in the village; it shouldn't take long before they find him and bring him back." Higure sighed loudly.

"Kongen, Kongen, Kongen", he spoke as he rose to his feet. "Do you remember why I made you captain of the guards?"

"Yes sir", Kongen replied.

"Well, it was not because I wanted you to fail me, was it? You, a man not who did not even die when a blade slashed open his throat, could not capture one single unarmed man?" Higure said as he approached Kongen. "I am very disappointed in you."

"Forgive me sir", Kongen said. With his voice, it sounded as if he was being sarcastic, but his pale face said otherwise. "Just give me one more chance."

Higure studied his subordinate for a while, even though he already had his answer made up. "I give you one more chance to capture him. Fail me again, and you will come to regret it."

Kongen left his master and ordered out the rest of his guards as well. He thought that Yumichika probably was not stupid enough to stay in the same village, so he sent men to search in the surrounding districts as well. He was confident in his own abilities, and he knew that he would succeed. After all, Yumichika was only oneunarmed man.

Ikkaku and Yumichika sat in a small restaurant during the evening when they noticed one of the guards who persuaded Yumichika walking right outside. Luckily, they sat in a booth, but it was bothersome still.

"They're not giving up", Yumichika commented in annoyance as he tried to enjoy the mizutaki. It was not a very well cooked dish, but then again, they were in a lousy neighborhood.

"Neither are we", Ikkaku said. He had no trouble with the food, but even complimented the waitress.

Yumichika nodded at Ikkaku's words, but could not help but to look worriedly towards the street. If he had not met Ikkaku, then he would either have been captured already or far away from the village, and even farther away from Higure's villa. He was glad that he would get his revenge, but he was also scared that he might fail. He trusted Ikkaku, and he believed in Ikkaku's strength, but there were limits to what one man-

"Yumichika?" Ikkaku asked suddenly, causing Yumichika to flinch.

"Yes?" he asked curiously.

"Ya were just so off", Ikkaku commented. "Don't like the food?"

"I'm a bit spoiled", Yumichika admitted. "But I'll manage." Ikkaku left it at that, but he could not help but to feel worried when Yumichika again seemed to daze off.

They only had little money left after the restaurant visit, so they could not afford a room for the night. It was late and dark outside, as well as a bit chilly. Yumichika's hiyoku was enough to keep him warm, but Ikkaku wore less clothing, so he seemed freezing.

"We could sleep in an alley or something…" Yumichika suggested. It was not something he looked forward to doing, but he had to remind himself that he could not get picky.

Ikkaku seemed to think it was a good plan, but when he turned around to look for a good place, he spotted a guard patrolling instead. Knowing they were not ready to defeat them yet, especially since Yumichika still was without a sword, he grabbed Yumichika's (left) arm and yanked him with him, hurrying out of the village.

"Ow, Ikkaku, where are we going?" Yumichika complained and hurried after. Ikkaku did not reply until they were in the outskirts again, where they had spent the day training. It was even chillier there, as the only covers were a few rocks and dead plants.

"There was a guard behind us", Ikkaku explained when he was sure they were alone. He let go of Yumichika, who did not question him further. "What if they'd find us when we were asleep?"

"So we're running?" Yumichika questioned. "Isn't that cowardly?" He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow, but Ikkaku did not seem to feel hypocritical.

"Ya wanted to kill them, right? Unarmed ya can't do shit, Yumichika", he replied. "So we'll wait until we're ready."

"And we're going to sleep out here?"

"Seems like it."

Even though he did not admit it, it was clear to anyone that Ikkaku was freezing. Their little camp thus focused on them keeping warmth by any means.

It was behind one of the larger rocks that they made their bed. Ikkaku's yukata was small, but they lay it on the ground to form some sort of mattress. Yumichika's bigger and thicker hiyoku served as their shared blanket, and they lay so that they faced each other. This way they could absorb each other's warmth, even if they would look like a couple rather than two men trying to stay warm to anyone else. But that was something they could not concern themselves with.

Yumichika had an uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere, Ikkaku noted. On the previous night he had also fallen asleep quickly, unlike Ikkaku.

When asleep, Yumichika looked more troubled than he had during the day. This concerned Ikkaku, who started to wonder really _who_ the guys they were going to kill actually were. Usually, it didn't matter to Ikkaku who he killed, but he never killed out of revenge. Sometimes out of spite, as when someone insulted him. But since he was a simple man, he had nothing of value that he could get protective of, and ever since he became a Soul he did not have family either. He just killed for the sake of killing and for the rush battling gave him.

With Yumichika, it was not like that, Ikkaku mused. Yumichika had enjoyed their brawls, that much he could tell, but did he also kill for the sake of killing, or for the sake of battling? After Ikkaku had trained him and after he had gotten his "revenge", would Yumichika continue fighting, or would he leave Ikkaku?

It had only been a day since they met, Ikkaku reminded himself. He should not get too comfortable with the idea of having Yumichika around. But he had to admit that when he lay under Yumichika's hiyoku with the smaller man's almost naked body nearly pressed against his own, he felt like it was something he could get used too.

Soon, Ikkaku too fell asleep.


	4. White

As the previous day, Yumichika was already awake when Ikkaku woke up. More than awake; he was also gone, leaving Ikkaku only with his sword over his head and sleeping in loincloth on top of his yukata. He cursed when he checked the pockets and noticed how the money was missing.

That coward had abandoned him, he thought madly and rose to his feet to take a look around. The savannah was dry and empty as before, but in the horizon he could see the village they had met in, and more west to that he could see the big forest that encircled it and continued on for miles.

While figuring out what to do next now that he was completely broke, he noticed a moving figure in the horizon close to the village. The moving figure was steadily walking towards him, and soon Ikkaku saw that it was Yumichika who skipped forward. Ikkaku decided to meet him halfway.

"Got me worried", Ikkaku grinned when Yumichika was within earshot. Yumichika smiled back and held up his right hand, in which he held a loaf of bread and a water pouch.

"Sorry", Yumichika said airily. "I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed."

"I was surprised all right", Ikkaku commented and they sat down on the dry land, as this place was just as good as any else.

They cut two slices of bread for breakfast and agreed to only drink one drought of water each. It was not much, but they needed to save for lunch and/or dinner.

After they had eaten, Ikkaku decided they should train again. Yumichika was eager to comply, and his left arm was almost fully healed. This gave him an upper hand, as Ikkaku had only learnt to fend off a one-armed Yumichika up until that point; now he had to deal with two.

All of their battles would seem the same to a spectator; you had the inevitable tackles, punches, the face-kicks, Ikkaku's head butts and Yumichika's quick blows. But each battle held something more; a new opening, or fewer openings, maybe a new grip.

Even though it seemed as if they were equal and had the equal amount of experience, Ikkaku who held the trainer's role now and then dropped down advices such as "move your shoulders when you hit and you get to punches instead of one" and "grab a hold of the opponent if you're going to knee them". The advices were simple, and Yumichika already knew of them, but he acted inexperienced still so that Ikkaku could feel good about himself.

After lunch, which also was of one drought of water each coupled with one slice of bread, Ikkaku seemed restless all of a sudden. Yumichika wondered if it was due to the fact that he had to fight without his sword, or perhaps without killing.

"Maybe we should take a break", he suggested, causing Ikkaku to flinch.

"Why?" he asked.

"You want a real battle and not a training session", Yumichika noted.

"Yeah", Ikkaku agreed. "But I'll wait. It will be sweeter if my first kill in days will be the bastards hunting ya." Yumichika was unsure of how to reply to that, so he granted Ikkaku with a grateful smile only. It seemed to be enough.

The rest of the afternoon had been spent training also, until they were both too tired and too hurt to keep it up. They went to the outskirts of the forest then, even if Yumichika was hesitant at first to approach it, but they were not discovered. They gathered sticks there, and filled the water pouch in a small creek, before returning to the comfortable and large rock they had spent the last night at. There, they made a fire and feasted on what was left on the bread.

"I'd kill for some sake on this", Ikkaku commented as he leaned to the rock after dinner. The only thing in the whole savannah that shone was their fire, and the village in the horizon. Everything else was enclosed by darkness.

"I promise, once we've killed them, I'll get you all the sake you can drink", Yumichika smiled encouraging and raised the water pouch as if to say "cheers".

Ikkaku studied Yumichika then, until his smile disappeared.

"What?"

"Are we going to travel together after we've killed them?" Ikkaku asked in all seriousness. Yumichika blushed a bit at this.

"I… I thought so. I mean, I want to, if you want to…" he said.

"I want to", Ikkaku admitted.

Yumichika fall asleep first again, allowing Ikkaku to study his beautiful face. This time he looked less troubled, which put him at ease.

He was interesting, Ikkaku thought. When he first had met Yumichika, Ikkaku had painted him as vain even before any dialog had been exchanged. He had been dirty, but not awfully so, and his hair had a strange glow to it. He looked as someone who cared very much for his appearance, the kind of person Ikkaku usually disliked. But he acted nothing like that. When he had kissed Ikkaku, he could do nothing but give in.

Lying next to him and watching him looking so pure, it was impossible for Ikkaku not to recall their kiss. Was it their first and final? Would they ever kiss again?

Ikkaku had never been in love. In his simple and brutal life he did not need love. When he was horny he would maybe get a cheap whore if he had the money, but otherwise he would take care of himself and be just as satisfied with that. Yet now he longed for but a kiss from his male sparring partner. Was it love?

He cursed and rolled to his other side, so that he would not need to lay his eyes on Yumichika's almost naked and perfect body.

In a villa in the forest, Higure sat. It was in his own bedroom, with a beautiful red kimono in his hands. A forceful yet stunningly beautiful dragon print decorated it, making it one of the most exclusive kimonos in his collection. It had been fitted to dress Yumichika up perfectly, yet now it was empty.

It was going to be a birthday present to himself. He had wanted to see Yumichika in it so badly. But selfish as Yumichika had been, he had escaped! How could he not appreciate his own beauty? Could he not see that Higure took care and polished his beauty like no one else could, or would?

Pity should be felt for Higure's sake. He had worked as a shinigami before. He had protected the Rukongai and he had protected humans. Now after retirement, he was not awarded? He clenched his fists with the kimono still in his hands. Yumichika would not get away. Any day now, Kongen would return with him, and he would apologize. Everything would be perfect, just as before.

It was hard to fall asleep without sake, Ikkaku realized. Without something to cloud his mind he had too much things to think about. Or, in this case, just one big thing.

How he could feel so insecure about something was beyond him. After only three days, no, less than that, Ikkaku could barely remember how his life had been before. The rushes in battle were something he missed, but his brawls with Yumichika gave him a different kind of satisfaction, as did every conversation with the beautiful man. He did not want to give up on the battles, that he couldn't do, but he did feel that maybe there was more to his life than sake and battle.

_God I sound like a girl_, Ikkaku scolded himself. But he could not rid himself of the thoughts no matter how hard he tried. And even in his dreams Yumichika greeted him.


	5. Yellow

"Ikkaku!" an excited Yumichika exclaimed, effectively waking Ikkaku up. The sun was gazing and the night's coolness had since long been exchanged for warmth.

"What?" Ikkaku asked and opened his eyes, just to be greeted by Yumichika's happy smile very close to his own face.

"Look!" Yumichika said and pushed something in front of Ikkaku's face. When Ikkaku managed to get some own room, he saw that it was a sword in Yumichika's hands.

"You got one", Ikkaku cheered and got up to his feet. Yumichika also rose and they dressed before further discussing the strange event of waking up with a sword.

"It's the same I had before", Yumichika said. "I lost if before when I lived in the villa, and now it's here again!" He seemed almost too cheerful, but it was great to see him like that thought Ikkaku. He did not even focus on exactly _what_ Yumichika was saying, so he did not question "what villa?" or something similar.

Breakfast was a luxury that they did not afford for a third day in a row, but both men were able to cope. They were too fixed with the idea of dueling with swords to care, so as soon as they were dressed they unsheathed their swords; Yumichika putting the sheath in his belt while Ikkaku kept his in his left hand. During the battle he used it as a second sword.

Ikkaku and Yumichika were both careful not to cut each other up to badly, but focused on always blocking each other instead. Yumichika's left arm had healed, so he had two hands on the hilt. This made him able to push through Ikkaku's one-handed defense, much to Ikkaku's surprise yet delight.

Their battle was more even on this day, and Ikkaku realized that Yumichika was not just talented; but _really_ good. He wondered again and again each time Yumichika blocked or fended off an attack how he could ever have been afraid of a few guards, or considered running.

When the sun was in zenith and their stomachs reminded them why lunch was necessarily they took a break. Both sweating, as usual, they fell to the ground and leaned back to back.

"Yer something else", Ikkaku commented.

"You're one to talk", Yumichika smiled.

Soon they could not just enjoy their starvation, so they searched the savannah for animal life. They finally found a small water source which they almost drained, and then washed their faces in. Afterwards Yumichika spotted a desert rat which he approached with caution, until he had severed the head. It was surprisingly meaty, so they were both able to feed on it more or less. And then it was back to training, even if they only fought for fun the second time.

The only real advice Ikkaku gave was "the best way to secure that ya kill the victim is to cut off their head." It made sense to Yumichika, who in turn offered the advice that you could always stick the sword through the victim's eye pocket. Ikkaku liked that suggestion.

After their fifth or so duel they were too exhausted to keep going, so they rested again. They had moved steadily, and were now at the edge of a forest and close to the same small creek as the day before. They decided to wash their clothes in it, with the exception of their underwear. It was not something they outright said, but they had some sort of shyness to walking around naked, at least in each other's company.

They hung their clothes to dry on a poor yet stable branch of a tree, and sat next to it while waiting.

In lack of better conversation topics, Ikkaku asked a question he had wanted answered for longer than he wanted to admit.

"Who are these guards, anyway?" he asked. Yumichika hesitated with his answer, as Ikkaku suspected him to. "Come on, there's nothing to fear."

"I'm not scared", Yumichika defended himself quickly as his voice rose. "But…" he said in a lower tone. "You're..." He sighed. "Promise you will still help me", he said. After Ikkaku gave his word, Yumichika continued. "There's a man named Higure living in a villa on the other side of the forest", he said. "He is an ex-shinigami, but retired. He is an art lover", Yumichika explained.

"I used to be a street fighter like yourself", he continued. "And I was the vainest person you've ever met. And then I met Higure."

"It was five years ago. He visited the village I was in to buy a kimono, when he noticed me. He was a charming man, and he was in love with my looks. Soon we became lovers." At this, Yumichika's cheeks reddened.

"He would buy me everything I wanted and he loved dressing me up in lovely kimonos, and to put my hair in the most beautiful of hairstyles. I was happy with it because I was so in love with myself, but I started to miss the life of battle. You know what I mean; the rushes, the feeling of living on the edge between life and death. In his villa, I was kept as if I was of china."

"How disgusting", Ikkaku said. "So you were pretty much his doll?"

"I'm not proud of it", Yumichika said. "I don't even remember when, but my sword disappeared one day, and I became a true prisoner. Whenever I said I wanted to leave, Higure would scold me and say that I was confused. I tried escaping many times, but he kept the villa too guarded."

"Three days ago was Higure's birthday. He wanted to celebrate it with me alone, so he had ordered his guards to keep away for a while. That's when I escaped finally." Yumichika looked deep into Ikkaku's eyes. "The rest you know."

Now Ikkaku felt that he truly _wanted_ to kill these guys. Not just because for the rush, but because of revenge. Even though he had only known Yumichika for so long, he had grown attached to him. He could not wait to cut the head of Higure; ex-shinigami or not.

A guard named Kaede was running through the forest as if her life depended on it. In the outskirts of it she had just spotted Yumichika-sama; Higure-sama's lover. She hurried to where her captain Kongen-sama was to report, feeling very proud of herself. Maybe she would get promoted now.

Soon she saw Kongen-sama, who she bowed to.

"Kongen-sama, I know where Yumichika-sama is!" Kaede proudly declared through her panting. She did not receive a "good work" or any kind of appreciation for this however, as Kongen instead grabbed a hold of her shoulders quickly.

"Where is he? Take me to him!" he yelled with his raspy voice. He quickly gathered the men closest to him and started to follow Kaede's quick lead through the darkening forest.

Their clothes were not yet dry when Ikkaku and Yumichika decided it was time to sleep. They had reached to conclusion that they were strong enough to take Higure and his men down in the morrow, so they needed the rest.

Their camp looked the same way as it had done on the previous nights, only this time with two swords resting over their heads instead of just one, and without their large rock to keep them company and shielded. And unlike the previous nights, Yumichika did not fall asleep at once. He was awake, perhaps out of anticipation for the next day, and looked at the equally awake Ikkaku.

"Are you looking forward to tomorrow, Ikkaku?" he asked softly.

"Hell yeah", Ikkaku grinned. Yumichika smiled back, but Ikkaku was not too dense. He noticed sadness in Yumichika's eyes.

"What's up?" he asked and shifted in the "bed". This brought them closer together, even though it appeared as if it was unintentional.

Yumichika took his sweet time before answering.

"I am really grateful", Yumichika began. "I can't imagine what I would do if I hadn't met you."

_I wouldn't know that I would do if I hadn't met you either_, Ikkaku wanted to answer, but he realized that Yumichika was not speaking about the same kind of feelings. Yumichika spoke of gratefulness so that he could get his revenge, after all.

"Yer welcome", Ikkaku replied. "But I get to kill, so I'm grateful too", he tried to joke, but Yumichika's smile was still sad. Ikkaku wanted to cheer him up, but he had no clue of what to do or what to say. When Yumichika looked down instead, avoiding Ikkaku's look, Ikkaku cupped his face suddenly.

"Yumichika…" he said slowly. Yumichika's eyes seemed hopeful suddenly, which made Ikkaku feel at ease. "You… I…" Never had Ikkaku had trouble with saying what he was thinking, but this was yet another thing Yumichika affected. What finally left Ikkaku's mouth however was "Yer so beautiful…"

Yumichika froze, and his eyes seemed dead, as if having an unpleasant déjà vu.

"Then… "Yumichika said slowly, his voice cold as his eyes. "If I were to continue on this", he pointed at his scar under his ear. "And cut up my face, would you still think that?" This shocked Ikkaku.

"What? Why would ya-"

"Or would you do as Higure, and stop me?"

"Why the hell… Yumichika, _you _did that to yourself? Why would ya-"

Yumichika got up as fast as he could, pulling his hiyoku along. He also took his sword, and stepped away from Ikkaku as he unsheathed it.

"Wait, Yumichika, ya got it wrong", Ikkaku said. Before Yumichika could fulfill his deed, Ikkaku grabbed a hold of his ankle and tripped him. "Listen", he started after Yumichika had hit the ground, but noticed that Yumichika was unconscious. His now bleeding head had collided with the hard ground.

"Shit", Ikkaku swore and got up, just to hear sounds from the forest. He turned, and saw six guards all wielding swords getting closer to him. One man carrying the lantern was in the lead.

"Grab that man too", he ordered with a hoarse voice. Ikkaku was not fast enough to grab his sword before he was out numbered. He started to realize why Yumichika had wanted to flee, when he was pinned down and unable to make any resistance.

"Don't kill him", he leader said. Then he added, with a twisted joy to his voice, "although feel free to inflict some pain."

Ikkaku's world too went black after a hard hit to his head caused by a rock. The last thing he saw before his lights went out was Yumichika's unconscious body being picked up by the lantern carrying man.


	6. Black

When Yumichika woke up, he lay on a familiar bed. It smelled fresh, and he felt fresh, and soon he realized he was back in Higure's villa. He cursed, only to be reminded of a familiar sound.

"Now, now, now, we don't use such foul language here", Higure said. It was with horror that Yumichika turned to face his way.

"No", he yelped. "Where's Ikkaku?"

"That ugly bald?" Higure asked with a disgusted face. He calmly crept closer to Yumichika on the bed. "I'm making sure my men give him the proper punishment for stealing what is mine."

"I'm not yours", Yumichika shouted, and pressed closer to the wall behind him. Despite all of his training with Ikkaku, he was back to feeling frightened. "And he did not _steal_ me", he added, although more silent.

"Oh yes, you are", Higure commented. Now he was so close so that his breath tickled Yumichika's face. "Now I'm going to remind you of that fact", he said with outmost seriousness and closed his mouth over Yumichika's.

Ikkaku was not kept in a cellar, but in the middle of an inner court. He was tied up against a pole when he woke up, his body aching everywhere. Twitching he tried to struggle free, only to be laughed at by a lazy guard who sat feet away from him with a grin on her face.

_It's my fucking fault_, Ikkaku thought. Why couldn't he just have said what was on his mind? Sure, Yumichika overreacted with a big O for whatever reason, but if Ikkaku had just kissed him or something they wouldn't have split up while mad at each other. Now he felt like a douche.

At least he wasn't dead yet, but why he did not know. Did they not think that Ikkaku could escape? Did they want to torture him to death? Either way it was ridiculous to keep him alive. He also felt ashamed; he had been defeated, although unfairly, yet he had to live on. He felt undignified.

While hanging upon the pole he heard someone approaching from behind.

"Ikkaku Madarame", the man said. His hoarse voice was easily recognizable from the night before, and just hearing it made Ikkaku grit his teeth.

The man walked up to Ikkaku, just out of range for him to bite. "Do ye remember me?" he asked.

Ikkaku was going to insult him, or yell something, when he noticed the scar that tainted the older man's neck. It was deep, and should've been deadly, but the man still stood.

"Kongen", Ikkaku said. He remembered one of the greatest fights of his life ten years ago, a fight from which he had walked victorious. He thought that he had killed him… but as he should have expected from the battle, Kongen was tough as a cockroach.

"So ye do remember", Kongen cawed. "You left me alive when I should have died. Do ye have any idea of how humiliating that was?" he spat in Ikkaku's face; but Ikkaku spat back. Kongen replied by punching him hard in the gut.

"I thought I killed ya", Ikkaku said. "Untie me and I will."

Kongen laughed, but it sounded more like an annoying cough that wouldn't go away. Then he hit Ikkaku across his face with iron fists. It felt hopeless, because he could not move even one bit, and his sword was probably locked away somewhere.

After two more punches Ikkaku started to feel groggy, but Kongen suddenly stopped when someone else spoke.

"That's enough for now", a sweet yet strong voice spoke. Ikkaku looked up, and saw a handsome elderly man. He seemed strong; stronger than Kongen even. But he was not the one who caught Ikkaku's attention; because next to him and slightly behind stood Yumichika. He had not lied, Ikkaku realized, because he truly was dressed up. His long hair was put up in a geisha-like hairstyle, and he wore a breathtaking red kimono with a dragon pattern. He looked more stunning than ever before, Ikkaku thought. But he did not care about Yumichika's appearance for the moment; after all, his comment about that was why Yumichika was mad at him right now.

So… why did Yumichika not look mad when he looked at Ikkaku?

"So that's it?" Ikkaku spoke to Yumichika.

"W-what?" Yumichika asked. Kongen got ready to strike again, but Higure stopped him.

"Let the ugly man speak. This will work as excellent punishment for my dear Yumichika", Higure said and eyed Yumichika with lustful eyes Ikkaku immediately hated.

"Yer just giving up?" Ikkaku taunted. Yumichika snorted.

"Look around you, Ikkaku", he said.

"All I see is the same coward I saw in that alley", Ikkaku said. But Yumichika did not flinch at this.

"Look who's talking", he said. "You look pretty cowardly too, Ikkaku. Have you given up already?" It was now that Higure seemed to think it might've been a bad idea to let them talk. He had hoped for Ikkaku to express some "I love you" phrase so that they could kill him and teach Yumichika that he was his and his alone. Now…

Ikkaku realized that Yumichika was right; he had given up. But no longer. He struggled through the ropes to free himself when Higure ordered Kongen to kill him. Kongen raised his sword to the tied up man and stroke swiftly, but instead of cutting off Ikkaku's head as they both thought he would Yumichika had run forward and tackled him to the ground.

While Kongen and Yumichika wrestled/struggled on the ground, Higure ordered the female and lazy guard to kill Ikkaku instead. However, Ikkaku managed to turn despite the ropes so that she cut them off instead of Ikkaku's head. She appeared shocked still when the now freed Ikkaku hit her hard across the face.

"Guards", Higure ordered. His voice was still calm, yet forceful. Six, seven, eight or more guards entered the inner court all with swords.

Yumichika got off Kongen and ran to Ikkaku's side, so that they stood back to back.

"I'm sorry about yesterday-"he started with a worried voice, but Ikkaku cut him off.

"We'll talk later", he said, and Yumichika gladly agreed. They were surrounded in every angle by nine guards and Kongen. Higure stood outside of it all calmly, and they all waited for his orders.

"Don't hurt Yumichika", he said firmly. "And kill the bald."

The guards charged, but not in a comical and silly way. Unarmed, they made it a bit more difficult, but Ikkaku and Yumichika were at least partly used to fighting with their fists only.

It was all a blur and it seemed as if the guards maybe forgot about not hurting Yumichika as they just struggled to get a hit. Yumichika managed to escape the fray, including Kongen, so that he as Higure stood outside of the fight.

"Yumichika", Higure said plainly. "I do not want to hurt you, you know that."

"I however, want to kill you", Yumichika said. He did not have a sword, but he charged anyway. It was all or nothing; he could not run now. He would never forgive himself if he did; and Ikkaku would never forgive him.

Higure was a retired shinigami, and he reminded Yumichika of that fact. Yumichika's first attack was quickly deflected, as was his second, third and fourth. Then Higure, despite his words, slapped Yumichika across his face. It was but a slap, but it was hard enough to send him flying.

Yumichika was about to rise from the ground, but suddenly Higure stood in front of him with his sword pointed towards Yumichika's neck. Yumichika's eyes were terrified.

Ikkaku had been able to single handily take down the guards. He had taken one of their swords and was thus able to outclass everyone else, until his sword clashed with Kongen's.

"Don't worry Kongen", Ikkaku said when he got ready to strike again. "This time I'll make sure to kill ya."

"Not so likely, Ikkaku", Kongen said. "I'll show you how it's done!"

Sparks flew as their swords clashed again and again. Kongen and Yumichika had very different styles of fighting Ikkaku noted, which worked out well for him. The quick returns Yumichika always used Kongen did not, and the cuts Yumichika would fend off Kongen did not. And with Kongen, Ikkaku did not refrain from hurting.

Yumichika was scared when Higure's sword was so near his throat. He did not know what to do.

"My beautiful Yumichika", Higure said dryly. "Give it up." What choice did he really have? If he did not, then he would –

"Hahaha!" Yumichika heard from behind. Ikkaku was laughing in his battle, as he always was in his fights with Yumichika. A battle was supposed to be fun; Yumichika used to think of them a fun.

"No", Yumichika smirked. He shot out his leg and tripped Higure and quickly fled backwards to grab a sword from one of the guards Ikkaku had killed. Then he charged with it against Higure. Higure deflected it, but was reluctant to countering it. Yumichika wore such a beautiful and expensive kimono after all, and his face was so flawless…

Yumichika attacked again and again, until Higure had no choice than to strike back. The Kimono was damaged, as was the hairdo. Yumichika was sweating and his hair was a mess; and he looked crazy. This maddened Higure.

Soon both men were bleeding from many wounds on their bodies; but Yumichika was the one with a smirk on his face, and he was the one with the upper hand. All that you could hear was the sound of clashing metal, heavy panting and a laugh or two from Ikkaku's direction.

The light slowly began to fade away as the sun was on its way down. But it was still light enough in the inner court for Yumichika to see where to strike; and he finally saw an unguarded opening. He pierced his ex-lover's heart with one swift move. Higure got no last words, but died silently and quickly.

"YES!" Yumichika yelled to the heavens as he too fell to his knees. But he knew that everything was not done yet, so he turned around to watch Ikkaku's fight. He wished he had won earlier.

Yumichika had always thought of Ikkaku as beautiful when they battled, but watching him battle from afar was just too much. It looked as if he was dancing a savage and crazed dance all while having gorgeous danger in his eyes, causing for a spectacle beyond recognition. Their fight was more even than Yumichika's, but Ikkaku had the upper hand.

Ikkaku's last attack was by sticking his sword right through Kongen's skull, piercing through his right eye pocket.

"Bra… vo", was Kongen's last words as he too fell to the ground.

Yumichika started applauding when Ikkaku turned his way, and smiled brightly. They were both soaked in sweat beyond recognition and their clothes were ripped in every way. Yumichika's hair was tangled and messed up, and Ikkaku's scalp was bruised. Yet it didn't matter.

Ikkaku fell to the ground next to Yumichika, and they stared out on the corpses with pride. They needed to drink something, or eat, but they did not. Instead they sat in silence, waiting for the other to break it.

"About yesterday", Yumichika finally said. "I am sorry I overreacted." Ikkaku tried to speak, but Yumichika silenced him. "Four years ago, I said to Higure that I loved him. He told me that I was beautiful, and that was it. I just felt… let down. And hollow."

Ikkaku did not know how to respond, but being a man of actions, he again cupped Yumichika's face and kissed him. Unlike their first kiss, no one acted out of necessity with this one. Their tongues danced and their lips caressed each other. It was a beautiful and lustful, yet love filled, kiss.

The kiss soon turned into a make-out session, and the make-out session soon turned into an act of love. The fact that they lay in an inner court surrounded by dead bodies did not concern them one bit.


	7. Epilogue

Two years after Ikkaku and Yumichika became a couple they found that their aimless journey together had brought them back to a now deserted villa in a forest. When they had left it two years prior they had taken anything of value from there; at least what they considered to be of value before.

"Look Ikkaku", Yumichika exclaimed when he held up the beautiful yet ragged kimono he had worn on _that_ day. "How could we let this one go?"

"Ya weren't so damn vain back then", Ikkaku grunted. "Ya even got mad when I called ya beautiful." Yumichika rolled his eyes.

"I was just tired of getting beautiful for someone else's sake", he explained. "Well, not that I don't like it when you appreciate my looks…" he added with a wink.

"Yeah, yeah, ya didn't like to be a doll. I get it. But that piece is torn now anyway, so ya can't wear it." Yumichika agreed, although sadly.

They did not find anything else worth reminiscing over, so they left the villa like it was. The forest seemed much nicer than it had been back then Yumichika noted when they travelled through it. They soon entered the village in which they had first met, but saw that it was a ghost city nowadays. They saw one or two low lives and _maybe_ a villager, but other than that it was empty.

As was the alley. Ikkaku stood leaning against the same wall he had two years ago, and Yumichika ran towards him. They re-acted their first meeting eagerly, although they took things a bit further.

The sun was covered by clouds in the grey and colorless sky. Neither Ikkaku nor Yumichika paid it any mind.


End file.
